About

This is a personal site about things I've actually bought, used and tried, written from my own experience and judgment. The English side isn't a translation of the Japanese one — it's the same first-hand experience, rewritten for what an English speaker living in Japan tends to want to know.

The basic rule

I used it. I paid for it. So I write about it in my own words.

The impressions, the reasons I bought something, the failures and the complaints all come from things I've actually done. Why I would or wouldn't recommend something, and my final call, are built on that experience. I don't pick products because of affiliate potential, and I don't write about things I haven't used as if I had.

When it helps a reader decide, I also research and compare products and services I haven't used, based on official information. I label that clearly as research and never write it as if I had used them. Order and evaluations don't change with affiliate payouts or partnerships.

Who writes this

I'm Sena Kosato — a pen name. I'm in my 40s and have spent more than 20 years working for a company, including a period living and working abroad. I don't publish my real name, my employer or where I live. But I didn't want the site to feel completely faceless, so: I care about seeing the actual thing, going to where it happens, asking people directly, and checking for myself rather than trusting summaries and hearsay. I like new things and technology, and I'll spend money if something genuinely makes life easier — but "new," "expensive" and "everyone recommends it" are not reasons on their own.

What I do here

• Buy it myself
• Use it myself
• Try it myself
• Fix it myself if it looks fixable
• Write down the failures too

Good things get called good. Expensive-but-underwhelming gets said plainly. If I think you don't need to buy something, I'll say that. I don't make articles out of search-result summaries, and I don't fake having used something.

On AI

Some of the writing process here uses AI, for:

• Researching objective information
• Organizing specs
• Drafting comparisons
• Suggesting article structure
• Editing and proofreading
• SEO support

These are never left to AI, and I always write them myself:

• How something actually felt to use
• Why I bought it
• Failures and frustrations
• Why I would or wouldn't recommend it
• The final judgment

The value of this site is the first-hand experience, not the AI.

Affiliate links

This site takes part in the Amazon Associates Program. The order is always: I need something → I choose it → I buy it with my own money → I use it → I experience the good and bad → I write about it → if it helps, I add a link to where you can buy it. I don't change a conclusion for affiliate revenue, and an article whose answer is "the best move is to buy nothing" is fine. See the Policy page for details.

Why anonymous

I keep out anything that would identify me personally — real name, employer, where I live. I still wanted it to be clear what kind of person is writing, which is what this page is for.